Seiki x Izuya - Griffin Hunters

As it would come to pass, much of the filming for the movie which I co starred had been completed and was sent to post processing, meaning for all practical purposes, that I was off. Now, all I needed to do was to wait for the movie to release while hoping that it did well; my pay check and royalties depended on it. With that portion of my life completed, I could go back to my training and such, which was more like a full time job to me than anything else, until the next role came up.

For training this time, I found myself in the forest near Hembree’s rock. Four poles were planted in the ground in this clearing for practice striking since I often used them to punching and kicking. The ground in front of each pole was worn and bare due to my training there. The sun was high in the sky over the forest. I was dressed casually in sweat pants, a tee shirt and sneakers with sweat staining various portions of my body while standing in front of one of the ten foot poles wrapped at chest height with coiled rope. The pole vibrates with each strike dealt as I send punches and kicks to it. Sitting offhandedly on one of the adjacent poles with one leg hanging off and the other cocked up with his arms wrapping the knee, Izuya watches me train, providing conversation at the same time. With a coy, grin, mannerism and posture reminiscent of the Cheshire cat, he comments, “you certainly take this training seriously, don’t you Seiki-kun.” With sweat beading from my brown, I thrust my fist forwards with another firm strike to the post as I comment with a grunt, “I’ve got to. I’m working at a disadvantage being a human. These demons are insanely strong you know… and so is my Sensei.” Izuya giggles a little and comments, “poor little human unable to keep up with the powerful spirits and various types. That’s why humans use guns and stuff, I guess... or make contracts with demons...” I frown and perform another punch into the wooden pole as I comment with a smirk, “well, my arms are my guns, and I don’t need to rely on the strength of a spirit.” Izuya yawns cat-like as he comments, “that so, that so?...” Time passes as I continue my training before Izuya looks around and mentions, “You know… we should probably pay that Reaper Smith a visit. I have a feeling he may have a job for us.” I chuckle lightly and state, “I’ll bet he asked you to do something and you want me to help.” Izuya shrugs slightly amused with my observation. He makes the comment, “with you, the outcome is the same. You’re a helpful fellow; you can’t help but to help.” I perform a final punch to the pole, causing it to shudder lightly before stepping back and bringing both my fists to my center. I look down and exhale, balancing my chi and then breathe normally opening my eyes as I look up. “Well, it’s good karma,” I explain, “I want good things to happen to me, so I’m good, it just makes sense that way.” Izuya giggles, “You’re so damn simple it’s cute.” He hops off of the pole and lands on both feet to my side, light as a feather, as he inquires, “But you’re coming… aren’t you?” With a nod, I comment, “of course. Even if he is a creep with an overgrown animal for a pet, he still seems like a nice guy… for a grim reaper. If he needs help, it means that the issue must be tough. If I overcome it, it’ll make me tougher.” Izuya shakes his head, “so simple… so naive…” I contests with a “hey!” to which he ignores and comments, “I’ll make the portal this time.” He holds out his hand, creating an oscillating column of light and lifts up about six feet. He waltzes into it followed by me; we both vanish within the light, coming out near the dark smith’s hut.

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Immediately as Izuya and I arrive near the Dark Smith’s Apprentice’s hut within a forest clearing, a blast of fire and ice comes towards us. I had battled the Chimera in my last visit to this place, so I was already weary of the seemingly immortal beast. My movements are fast as I go into offensive mode. Moving between the Chimera’s blast and Izuya, I form a hand seal and slam my hands to the ground creating a wall of ice. Izuya gives a smirk as he stands there casually, predicting that I would protect us. He holds his posture as I continue. While the blast strikes the wall, I stand and perform a hand seal. The Chimera’s body leaps towards us from behind the broken ice wall and smoke vapor. Finishing the hand seal, I step forwards and thrust my palm towards the beast. A huge gust of wind is projected to the beast catching the airborne creature and driving it back forcefully and aerially over the lawn and into one of the large trees of the forest wall that surrounded the hut. The area shudders with the beast’s impact. Another hand seal is performed by me and held at my chest as a cyclone forms and rips about the creature for several seconds. Both my focus and thus the cyclone technique are broken by a question that pierces the battle silence asking, “hey… how long are you going to beat up on my dog, dude?”

The Chimera drops to the ground. Turning, I notice the Dark Smith’s Apprentice standing on the patio of his hut, a dark reaper in appearance with a black cloak covering his boney body and scratching his head with a skeletal appendage. I blink as my body relaxes from battle mode, “um… but he attacked us…” The Dark Smith’s Apprentice ignores this and looks towards the Chimera complaining, “I’m seriously going to have to call animal cruelty on this one…” A sweat drop falls down the side of my face as my shoulder’s hang. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” Izuya’s voice chirps up “DSA!” as he nonchalantly makes his way towards the apprentice, “I’ve brought my work horse to do your bidding. Remember that thing you were telling me about?” Seemingly forgetting about the trespass against him and his pet The Dark Smith’s Apprentice turns and looks to us and remembers, “Ah, that’s right, that one thing I needed. Hey Izuya.” I blink, “work horse?” The Chimera limps back into the yard in the background of the conversation going on; it’s body self regenerates from the injuries of battle. In a step jog, I move to catch up with the two entities as the Dark Smith’s Apprentice looks to me and goes into the details, “Yeah kid listen up. I need the blood of a Griffin for this thing I’m doing… think you can handle that?” I blink, “a griffin… blood?” Izuya coughs and murmurs under his breath to the Apprentice, “onay on the eathday. He doesn’t like to kill stuff…” I frown as I protest, “I know what that means…” A bubbly question mark blinks over the head of the apprentice before he gets it and shrugs it off, “oh, you can’t kill the Griffin if you try. It’s immortal like Fluffy, so feel free to go all out. Just beat it down, get some blood from it and it’ll go along its merry way.” I blink, “um… okay… well, where do I find the griffin?” The Dark Smith shrugs, “what do I look like, a Griffin keeper? You’ve got to find it. It’s not a ‘the’ it’s an ‘a.’ There’s as common as Eagles.” I attempt to remember when the last time was that I saw an Eagle… or an owl for that matter. The DSA continues, “…Try to get this wrapped up before noon. There’s a good Soccer match I want to catch.” I begin to question, “What does that have to do with…” Izuya taps me annoyingly on my nose from the side and comments, “no questions to the paying customer.” I give a surprised visage to Izuya, “wait I’m getting paid?! Cool, how much?” Izuya coughs, “Oh, I misspoke. I said laying not paying… let’s go.” I blink, “wait, what?! Wouldn’t it be lying?” Izuya begins walking away with that, assuring, “well get your Griffin sir, just you wait.” The DSA chuckles, “I’m sure you will. See ya.” I look between the reaper and the Kami, before I sigh, “mou!” and jog after Izuya.

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Distance is created from the reapers hut as Izuya and I find ourselves walking through the heavily forested Deep. After leaving the reaper’s hunt, instead of going out to hunt a Griffin like I thought we were going to be doing, Izuya informed me of a short cut that we were going to use instead. When I had inquired on what we were going to do, he had turned to me in the middle of a forest trail and commented, “there’s no way I’m going to waste time and get sweaty looking around for a bird that may or may not exist.” Thus, with a smirk on his face and a plan in his head, he instead lured yokai and lesser spirits that were around us. I stood by and watched as he used some type of hypnotism on the spirits to inquire if they had seen a Griffin and or cause them to go out in various directions to search for said mystic beast. After about ten minutes or so of having others do his work for him and asking around, we struck gold with a small mouse like yokai who was able to recount his horrifying experience of having met the Griffin.

So there we both stood upon a forest trail with trees surrounding us and a small foot tall mouse standing on his hind feet before us speaking as audibly as the corner grocer. After bumming a cigarette from Izuya, who I didn’t know or had ever seen smoke before, the small mouse asks for a light, at which point, I used my fire element to assist him. The rodent takes a puff of the cancer stick and begins to tell us the tale of the Griffin. Izuya continues standing casually and I choose to crouch to offer my attention, hugging onto my knees to my chest as I look at the little smoking fellow. He begins, “it was a rainy day indeed when I met the Griffin. The clouds were dark in the sky; it was as if Dem himself had commanded the skies to stand ominously in the Heavens. There was a shadow upon the ground, something massive, the carnivorous beast in hunt with malice as his intent. He came swiftly. His body poured from the skies amidst the rain, thunder and lightning. His eyes glowed with a burning crimson, the type that must have spoken Oni’s into existence some eons ago. His screech was of a thousand banshee. The strength of his scream loud enough to wake the dead and cause them to spontaneously combust! His target became clear to me in my observation of him… He came after me and my family… My children were running! I bid them go ahead and sent my wife ahead. If they were to live, it would be profit… but me… I stood my ground valiantly (cue Plan B – Stay Too Long). My lineage is that of warrior rodents dating back to the creation of all creatures. Our bloodline’s ability served as our blessing against our oppressors. My body glowed with an awesome power as I beckoned the beast to come! I decreed in a hoarse voice of rang that this day he could have his stomach’s fill of battle! Valor would be the appetizer with my wrath as the main entrée! With the challenge proclaim, I ran towards it with all of my speed as he continued his dive from the ceiling of Yochi! In the pinnacle of his drive, I leapt up with all power and might to meet with him in a glorious clashing, anticipating a collision that would rock the very foundations of the forest!... and then it happened…” The small mouse’s voice had come up and into a climax before he exhaled and then took a puff of the cig. By this point I was amped; I leaned forwards in anticipation as I wait for what was to come next for an awkward length of time as the mouse enjoyed the cigarette. Izuya retained his cool, jovially entertained by what he had heard thus far, but not half as invested as myself. Finally I am forced to ask, “and what?... what was it that happened?...” The mouse looks up and comments in a matter of fact tone, “He flew past me and swept up my family. He devoured them all; it was pretty graphic. He didn’t go somewhere else and do it; there were blood and guts everywhere. I could only watch as my children’s heads were ripped from their necks; my wife’s body voided of her life and bodily consistency. I soiled myself several times in several ways while watching…” I fall over as the mouse sighs, “but the story does not end there. I followed him… I trailed him pledging that my life would not end before vengeance was sought and wrought to the Griffin. I know where he is now, but I’m still building my demonic power in order to battle him on a greater plan next time. But if you seek and kill him, then my soul would be relieved.” I sigh while picking myself up and dusting off, “well, I’ll be sure to give him a piece of my mind for you. I hear that he can’t die… but we need to know where it is so we can…” Izuya lifts a hand and steps forwards in an interrupt that gains the attention of both the mouse and myself. He comments, “I already know where he is. I read the mouse’s mind a while back.” I blink, “you…” Izuya smiles and turns to the rodent as he comments, “thank you Mr. Mouse for your help. Vengeance shall be wrought by a true hero. Though he doesn’t look it, this boy here is quite powerful.” The mouse salutes and comments, “Ah, then I shall not tell you, ‘beware of that one, for he is mighty.’ Instead I shall bid you strength in battle!” I nod with a confident grin and perform an arm pump as I tell him not to worry about me. Izuya creates a portal and whistles to get my attention as he motions to it. “After you,” he comments with a motion towards the portal. Normally the second to enter into his portals, I chirp, “Thanks!” and proceed in stepping into the portal.

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Suddenly after entering the portal created by Izuya, I feel a very brisk breeze wrap about my form. My initial reaction is to decline my gaze. As I look down, I see a sturdy branch under my feet with plenty of free room beneath it and various branches of various increasing sizes and strengths. To my immediate right was the greater portion of a trunk, narrowed by its position near the top of the structure. Looking out, I am able to see the expansive Yochi stretching out into the distance horizons. The air around me held a misty cloud like consistency; I come to the conclusion that I was very high up in the air on one of the tallest trees of the forest. As the scene would span out, this would be proven true.

My eyes widen as I yell, “shit!” and hug onto the branch after immediately lowering my body. From his position where I previously was with the mouse, Izuya points to his cheek with his index finger in a thoughtful upward gaze as he comments, “maybe I should have warned him where the portal went to?” Returnign to me, and my plight, I look about and notice a large nest accompanying the same large branch as myself. Unlike normal nests, constructed of needles and twigs, this one seemed more like an aerial fort, constructed of branches and small trees. “It’s nest?...” I murmur lightly looking towards it. In the air, there comes a loud screech, something that immediately grabs my attention. My gaze shifts in the direction of the resounding noise as I see, in the distance a very angry Griffin. Instinctively, it seemed to have noticed me as an intruder near its home and was heading towards me with ill intent. It was around that time that I noticed that Izuya was nowhere to be found. It seemed well enough like something that he would do. I grin nervously and comment, “He could have at least warned me… the ass…” From what I knew of him, I could tell that the guy really liked to keep people on their toes. Either way, this was the job charged to me, so I knew in my mind that I needed to overcome it.

I compose myself fairly quickly and stand ready. Attempting to overlook the height as the Griffin makes its way towards me I knew there was no way I was going to make this in a battle in a tree. I had to get him to the ground or at least somewhere where I could have good footing. I knew that in order to get the beast down, I needed him to have a reason to follow me. I didn’t have a lot of time before it got to me and the only thing of interest was the nest. I decided that a physical attack would be the fastest. Quickly I run to the empty nest. My body slides slightly on arrival as I set my stance before I pivot, pulling my foot around in a destructive roundhouse kick to the nest, causing the makeshift home to burst and shatter on impact, or at least that area of it. It would take a while to repair that portion of it. After that, I plant my feet with several swift hand seals and flames and heat energy pushes out from my body (heatblast) catching onto the nest and building up flames within it. After destroying much of the Griffin’s home, I flash a quick smirk before off the branch I go and into the air over the side into a free fall. Reasonably enough this seems to enrage the Griffin as it shifts its flight to follow my escape from the branch. There was a long way to as the tree seemed to be very high up. The skillfully aerial Griffin attacks during a moment of the fall with a passing slash. At the last minute while my body up inverted upside down, I catch the side of the beak of the large avian and push off and away from it, moving my body in an effort to deflect the attack to the side. My body flips around and then comes right side up for the rest of the fall. Seeing a clearing in the distance, I aim for it, catching a disk of air and leaping off of it with Air Hike and a Cloudleap. I streamline my body, much like a skydiver, as I move away from the tree to fall towards the clearing. Flipping over as I approach the ground, I perform a hand seal and create a vortex and wind tunnel beneath me to slow and buffer my fall, allowing me to land without killing myself. My feet come to the ground and my body falls into a roll before I slide to a stop crouched looking for the Griffin before standing up. From the sky, in a manner much like the mouse described earlier, the Griffin comes towards me. The wind shifts about me as I outstretch my hand, calling for Goronova to come into my hand. The Sword of Light forms from tattoo on my arm and glows with power as I lift up and slash down with it sending an elongated blade of wind towards the swooping avian. Showing its tenacity for aerial evasion the creature shifts to the side, where only a portion of the wind blade hits its wing causing it to turn to the side and hit the ground, rolling before it comes to a halt on its talons. I emit a “tch” due to the fact that I wanted a clean hit. Immediately rising in standing height, the Griffin roars in a screech projecting shards of sonic energy towards me without warning. “Crap!” I murmur as I cross my arms before me, the sword of light vanishing and returning to my arm in the form of a dragon tattoo. Never having endured an attack like this before, I find that my body is pushed back by the Griffin’s strength as two ruts are formed in the ground from my feet digging into the ground as my body moves back. I exhale and lower my guard as I look up, setting my footing and my stance. The creature lifts up its wings, sending several wing and wind shards towards me. Goronova calls out to me, “remember Ashram’s training! Wind is weak against…” I complete the sentence, “ice!” I perform a hand seal and place my hands back to the ground to create up a large guard of ice before me that deflects the projectiles. Using the ice guard to hide my position, I use godspeed to get a better angle on the two story bird before I rush straight at it and thrusting in at it. My fist strikes what seemed to be concrete… or something stronger. Not much happens as far as damage went, but the creature deflects the attack to the side and spins, countering by pushing wind with its movements. The harsh wind sends me flying back and cracks the nearby trees with its force. Hitting the ground, I roll a few times before coming into a crouch gritting my teeth cursing, “stupid bird…” Looking up, I could see the Griffin with its wing span spread out and wind circling protectively around it meaning it had the ability to use Wynd magics much like myself. “Rather,” I correct, “smart bird…” Remembering that I should favor Ice, I attempt to come up with an ice spell on the spot; my barrier couldn’t be used offensively. “What does ice do…?” I murmur lightly.

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The Griffin wails once more and sends condensed waves of sound towards my position. My body runs to the side as the sound moves past my previous position and crashes into the trees behind. I perform two hand seals and slide to a halt before thrusting my palms towards the Griffin. A wave of fire is sent from me to the bird that waves its wing and disperses the flames. “Really?” I ask, a bit surprised. From within me, Goronova coaxes, “try the same thing with ice.” I set my stance and perform the hand seals for ice and blast and then thrust out my palms towards the creature (Icebeam). The molten ice rushes towards the bird who performs the same dismissal, but instead of dispersing, the ice continues forth and strikes the bird in the chest. I give an arm pump and a “yosh!” with the completion of the attack, even though I could tell that it didn’t do much. “You’re going to have go to something much stronger than that,” Goronova scolds from inside of me. I inform, “it took a lot just to get that out!” It was the truth since it was a spell I had to channel that I had never used before. I would have to at least use it a few more times before thinking of creating something bigger. After taking the small hit, the Griffin crouches and then lifts into the sky. Wind is pushed off from its ascension to the sky. I cross my arms over my face to defend against the debris. From above, it performs another attack in a series of screeches that rain down towards the ground from a height of about three stories. Unable to really see them, but trying to feel them out and guess their trajectories, I move around from my current position to evade the strikes. Out of about four attacks of that manner, the last hits me, and sends me to the ground. I roll over and get up, holding the shoulder and portion of the upper body that was hit by the attack. Deciding that looking at the thing wouldn’t do any good, I move back into an offensive mode. Returning fire, I create a hand seal and project a beam of ice up and towards the bird. After that, another hand seal and light engulfs my form. There is an explosion on my position as wind strikes the area. I appear in a column of light on the back of the Griffin having teleported and perform the same seal and slam a column of ice to the back of its head. The creature’s flight shifts and my weight is shifted to the side. I slap my hand onto the creatures back, creating an anchor of ice between my hand and his body to keep me on. The Griffin’s flight pattern becomes jerky and sporadic. My other hand reaches out and Goronova appears in it. I slam the blessed sword into the creature’s back causing it to shriek in pain. I pull myself up with the sword lodged in the creatures back before ripping it out and slamming it back in. Blood begins to seep from the wound. Suddenly, a gust of wind encircles the Griffin’s body, sending me off of it. My body flies up and over the bird. Using a hand seal, I project a rush of ice down, that pushes my body up a bit more. The bird is hit in the back and pushed down a little, with my sword still lodged in it. Activating the power of my overdrive token, I decide I would have to perform a massive ice attack to send the bird creature back down to the ground and pin him there. The token glows as does my body during this procedure. I perform the hand seals for Icye and Destruction. During the time it takes to channel the spell, gravity begins to bring me back down. I press off of the air and leap back up with a double jump before the energy required was molded. Watching the path of the Griffin, I take mental aim as I release the seal and thrust my hands forwards calling out, “Frozen Path!” Powered by the overdrive token a 2 story wide column of molten ice rushes from before me down and through the Griffin, fully engulfing its body and driving it into the ground with force. The unleashing of raw ice elemental energy pummels the creature and surrounding area for a matter of seconds, keeping my body elevated in the air before it finally subsides and I start to free fall back towards the ground. Another hand seal and my body is teleported in a burst of light from the sky to the ground, sliding along the icy flooring that was created by the technique. Standing and attempting to keep my balance on the ice, I notice the effects of my attack. The Griffin was encased in ice almost like some type of ice sculpture, connected and bound to the ground that was also covered where the blast hit and twenty or so feet away from it. I blink as I nod, “nice…” Now all that was required was to get a portion of this creature to the DSA so he could get blood from it. I figured it might be easier to simply warp that DSA here than to attempt to get a part of the Griffin unfrozen.

Izuya seems to arrive magically after much of the work was done. My clothes were all messed up as well from the various attacks taken. After the ordeal of getting the Griffin Blood to the DSA, Izuya takes the credit for the trouble and we are given a charm of sorts to match the various accessories that I had already from shopping with Izuya. With that done, I decided that I had enough training for one day, so the story concluded with Izuya and I going to the Ramen Booth to grab something to eat.

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